How Serious Is Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy?

Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy is a medical condition wherein a person
is deprived of oxygen for a short period of time. It most commonly occurs
in infants, so doctors may also refer to it by other names, including
neonatal or perinatal asphyxia or hypoxemia.

What Causes This Condition?

There are three ways that infants develop hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy.
The first of which is from an injury to the mother or infant during the
gestational period from placental separation, trauma, or accident.

The second way is through an injury to the infant during the birthing process,
such as the umbilical cord wrapping around the baby's neck. And the
last way this condition can occur is because of an injury to an infant
after they are born. An example of this is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Is it Serious?

Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy in infants is serious because it can cause
the following long-term, and often times, catastrophic health problems:

Cerebral palsy

Seizures

Developmental delays

Chronic respiratory distress

Coma

Feeding issues

Hearing problems

Organ failure

Death

What Are the Symptoms of This Condition?

Sometimes, a parent will immediately know that their child has undergone
oxygen deprivation because the doctor will have to start the resuscitation
process. But that isn't always the case. The symptoms might not present
until weeks later.

This can be seen by the absence of crying, weight loss, and underdevelopment
of the infant.

What Should Parents Do if They Suspect Their Infant Has This Condition?

Parents who have reason to believe that their infant has hypoxic ischemic
encephalopathy should contact our Baltimore birth injury lawyers at Brown
& Barron for assistance as soon as possible. That way, our legal representatives
can review the case to help determine if the issue was caused by medical
malpractice or some other type of negligence.

The information on this website is for general information purposes only.
Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual
case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt
or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. The attorney
responsible for this web page is Brian S. Brown.

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